Scottie Barnes silenced doubters at perfect time

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We learned a few things during the Toronto Raptors' overlong six-game preseason schedule, but the most important information came on Friday night.

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Scotty Barnes, after all, hasn't forgotten how to play offensive basketball, nor is he too tired to do it.

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Yes, Toronto played a Brooklyn Nets team that should have a hard time winning 20 games in 2025-26, but that doesn't mean you can just throw what Barnes did against them out the window. The team's top talent had been brutal offensively in his previous three games, shooting just 20% from the field on 30 attempts, largely due to being too far from the rim. Even the Boston Celtics broadcast team wondered why they didn't hear his name mentioned at all in a recent quiet game.

Knee tendonitis was partly to blame, but Barnes seemed lethargic and out of sorts on offense, which was a little odd considering he was still an aggressive rebounder and playing strong defense.

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He may have given rookie Brandon Ingram, Toronto's leading and lightest scorer, as much space as he wanted to feel comfortable after a 10-month absence from 5-on-5 basketball. Starting center Jakob Poeltl, who missed most of the games, likely contributed as well, and perhaps Barnes is just being human and easing his way onto the exhibition roster. which, as stated above, is longer than necessary.

Whatever the reasons, Barnes was the guy he needed to be on Friday, and that was a great sign for the Raptors, who open the regular season in Atlanta on Wednesday ahead of Friday's home opener against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The former NBA Rookie of the Year eliminated tough or bad shots from his diet and went where he can excel, scoring from close range. Only two of his 15 shot attempts missed the paint (two missed 3-pointers), and he had two dunks and three layups in the first quarter alone to set the tone. Barnes added a couple more dunks during the game and was in attack mode, even against a decent rim protector in Brooklyn's Nic Claxton.

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That's what Barnes should be. A bully who uses his gifts. Let Ingram, Immanuel Quickley and Grady Dick or Ochai Agbaji take the jump shots and let R.J. Barrett mixes and matches punches with punches. Let Poeltl throw tips, floaters, and push shots from close range. Barnes can set the table for all of them, but he can't have zero scoring and still use his gifts as a playmaker because opponents will back off from him and take away his offensive lines if (a) they don't respect his jump shot and (b) they think he's content with fade attempts and pull-ups rather than making contact and getting into the paint.

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WHAT IS THE MAIN THING?

Head coach Darko Rajakovic clearly saw the criticism of his star's offensive play, and his pregame comments were prescient after Barnes' goal against the Nets.

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“It's preseason. He's figuring out how to get to the rim, how to find a good balance between scoring and passing from there,” Rajakovic told the media before the game. “He just needs games to get into a rhythm here more than anything else. Also, he missed a couple days there at the beginning of training camp. Compared to the rest of the guys, he's probably a week behind. But the last couple days with his work, I think he's moving in the right direction.”

Now Barnes needs to continue working on the finale.

Rajakovic also mentioned that the new more dynamic style of attack and stronger defense require increased physical preparation. If Barnes is indeed a week behind, it makes sense that he didn't put everything on the table until Friday.

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“Everybody's trying to play at a high tempo. Everybody's trying to move the ball. I think we're just getting into game shape more than anything else. We did a lot of work in the summer. We got into good shape. We're just now learning how to play 48-minute NBA games and maintain intensity throughout the game,” Rajakovic said.

ROTATIONAL FORMING

Rajakovic said at the start of training camp when asked by Postmedia and repeated on Friday that he wants to use a lot of players, at least 10 and sometimes 11 players per night.

The starting five has been determined and it is already quite clear who will be the first player called up from the bench. The backup center will be Sandro Mamukelashvili, who shot 50% from the field despite uncharacteristically struggling with 3-point shooting and grabbed 6.2 rebounds in just 20 minutes per game. Grady Dick and Ochai Agbaji will be the starting point guards and Jamal Sheed will be the backup point guard.

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Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles is in contention to be the key backup big man, and Rajakovic said he expects him to be ready to return from injury soon.

There remains one permanent location and one random choice.

Sophomore Ja'Kobe Walter should be in contention for the 10th spot (he actually averaged more minutes in the preseason than Sheed or Murray-Boyles, and nearly as many as Agbaji or Dick).

So Jonathan Mogbo, Jamison Battle and Chuckie Hepburn will all catch the ball at certain times depending on the situation. Mogbo is a long, energetic guard who can rebound, a battle spacer with arguably the best jump shot on the team, and Hepburn is a third point guard who can actually defend.

@WolstatSun

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